After The Fall
by Narago
Summary: -After the events of Eva 2.22.- The world almost ended, that day. Yet the two of them live, and with a new bond, they face the future together. Whatever may happen, whatever may come, they'll always have each other.
1. Chapter 1

**After the Fall**

_A post-Rebuild fanfic._

_

* * *

_

"Ikari-kun."

Through the blind darkness, he heard her, her soft voice barely audible in the roaring din.

"Ikari-kun."

He struggled to get up. His clothes clung to his body, reeking of LCL and sweat. Sight slowly returned to him, along with his memories. He remembered being picked up by the mangled Unit 2, and then, seeing Unit 0—Ayanami-be eaten by the angel...

Blinking, he looked up and saw her, sitting on the dusty ground, naked. Her skin was pale and flawless, and stood out in sharp contrast against the crimson sky.

"What happened?" he asked. Then Shinji remembered: how he had uttered those three words-"give back Ayanami"-before marching in. Before smashing the angel, before ripping her free from it. The pain that had come afterwards, then the blissful feeling of holding her close, her body soft and warm clinging to him-

-blushing, Shinji cleared his mind. It was odd to feel that way about Rei—he had saved her, because... because she was important to him. Precious to him.

He had saved her. She was alright. He began to cry, with relief.

Shinji felt Ayanami's hand on his back, as he wept. Then she pulled him close, and he felt her heart beat, as he calmed down. He remembered how the Eva smelled—how LCL smelled—how his mother smelled—and there she was, Ayanami, so comforting.

"We were pierced by the Lance of Longinus," said Ayanami.

"The... what?"

"A weapon, pulled free from the surface of the moon. You passed out then, from the shock."

"Oh." He remembered the piercing pain on his side, then the sudden loss of consciousness, how he had blacked out. "Who was it?"

She shook her head. "I do not know. I woke next to you."

"How long ago was that?"

"About an hour, I believe."

An hour... Shinji looked at her. Still naked. She was shivering a bit, he realized, but true to her character she had neither complained or shown any signs of discomfort. He quickly peeled off his shirt and wrapped it around her shoulders. Her eyes widened a bit, in shock—then she looked down, and Shinji smiled. It was oddly comforting to care for her like that. And he owed her for staying with him the past hour.

Then-

"What about the Eva?"

"Look behind you, Ikari-kun."

Shinji looked back, and there was the hulking form of the Unit 1, pinned to the ground by a giant lance. Just looking at it made him feel sick to his stomach. He wanted to go out there and pull free the lance, but that was impossible, he knew. Still, the Eva shouldn't be left like that...

"I wonder why Misato isn't here," he said to Rei. "There should be medical crews treating you right now."

"It's possible that they are in need of aid, themselves."

"Oh."

And that was that. He remembered attacking the angel in the control room, seeing Misato's shocked face pass by as he tackled the monster through the wall. Rei's probably right, he thought.

"Ikari-kun..."

"Yeah?"

Was she blushing? It was hard for her to hide that, with such pale skin. "Thank you."

"No, it was n-n-nothing," he stammered.

"Thank you for coming back," she whispered. And Shinji was struck by how beautiful she was. And how vulnerable. Like porcelain. He wrapped his arms around her, and she clung on tightly to him. That's all I need, he thought. Not the world. Not myself. No one else, nothing, I don't care, just...

...give Ayanami back. And, oh god, keep her safe.

* * *

The two of them held hands as they walked to the Unit 1. It loomed over them, pierced and pinned to the ground by the Lance, yet as they neared it Shinji felt calm. It smells like mother, he thought. It smells like Ayanami.

I feel calm there.

"I used to..." Ayanami began to say. Then she fell silent. Shinji, curious, looked at her—then noticed her feet. They were bloody from the rough ground, and she had no shoes. Cursing himself for being such a fool, he asked her to stop.

She looked at him, curiously, as he pulled off his shoes and gave them to her.

"Put them on," he said. "Your feet are bleeding."

"It's okay," she whispered back. "You-"

"I have my socks, so don't worry about me. It's not too far away, anyways."

Nodding, she put them on. They were a little too big for her.

"So what were you saying earlier, Ayanami?"

"Oh... Ikari-kun. I just wanted to say." Another moment of silence. "That. I used to feel safe inside an Eva. Like I belonged there."

"That's just like me. I think all of us children do. It's like home for us."

"No," she said. She smiled, just a little grin. "I just wanted to say that... that I feel the same way, around you."

It would be a little creepy if I told her that she smells like my mom, he thought to himself. So he kept those thoughts to himself, and they walked, hand-in-hand, towards the impaled Eva.

* * *

"I see a car approaching," said Rei.

Shinji looked at where she was pointing, and he could see a jeep race towards them, through the wreckage of what was once Tokyo, and the Geofront. I wonder who that is, wondered Shinji. And the two children sat, still holding hands, on the ground and held each other as the car neared their location. They felt natural, being so close. What had happened within the Angel, as he pulled her out, had eliminated all shyness between them.

It turned out to be Misato. She brought the Jeep to a halt and ran out of the car. A few quick steps and she was upon them, holding them both, weeping and laughing at the same time. Shinji was a bit shocked—he had never seen her this emotional—but she drew back, and said to him:

"Good job."

And that was that.

* * *

**Author's Note: I don't intend for this to be a long series, at all. It'll deal with what happens after Eva 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance, which if you haven't seen yet is so awesome! Obviously a Shinji/Rei pairing, a pairing for which I developed a new appreciation for after watching the movie. Asuka (a.k.a. Big Bossuka) will show up as well. Thanks for reading this far.**

_-Note: the usual gobbledygook about me not owning Evangelion, it's all Anno and Gainax and all that._


	2. Chapter 2

**After The Fall**, Part 2

_A post-Rebuild Story._

* * *

"So... Misato is being held in America?" Asuka frowned as she adjusted the eyepatch. It was so bothersome, yet necessary, especially since she was unlikely to get a transplant anytime soon.

"Yeah," said Maya. The petite techie sighed as she sipped her latte. They were sitting in the cafeteria of the rebuilt NERV headquarters, which was mostly empty, as of now. The Commander along with Fuyutsuki had set out for another expedition to the moon, and Misato was with the UN forces now, a part of the hostage agreements that SEELE had set out in light of what had nearly happened with Ikari and the Unit 1. "And Akagi-san is in Germany! I couldn't go with her."

"You sound like a widow," said Asuka with a smile. Then she laughed as Maya began to blush and stammer about how their relationship was purely professional. Yeah, thought Asuka, just like Shinji and I.

That thought sobered her a bit. It had been two months since the Third Impact had almost happened, and two weeks since she had recovered from her encounter with Bardiel. Being one-eyed was uncomfortable and odd, but nothing compared to the panic she had felt after waking up in the test chamber.

And Shinji...

"Anyways," said Maya, "I think they're so cute together!"

Asuka glanced at the couple holding hands in the corner of the cafeteria. Shinji and the favorite, the doll... no, that was uncharitable of her. Ayanami. Ikari and Ayanami just sitting there, holding hands, staring blissfully into nowhere in particular... Asuka had to admit that she felt a small pang of jealousy as she watched them. If only there was someone like that for her—then Ikari's face popped into her mind, and she groaned, wondering if she had feelings for the pathetic, sad, lonely nerd.

But he wasn't. He had saved, and then nearly ended, the world. He had come as close to being a god as anyone had, really.

"I guess they're cute," said Asuka, "but they don't talk at all! It's creepy seeing them just sit there and stare at nothing like that." Like dolls. "I mean, eww."

"I think you're too harsh on them, Asuka. It's not like Rei or Shinji were as easy-going as you were, before... before what happened."

"I know, I know. And I guess it's all right if they're happy."

* * *

Ayanami had the sense that Asuka and Maya-chan were talking about them. She could hear their conversation, distantly, as if she was in another room.

Ikari and I, she thought to herself, do need to talk more. We need to talk like a... like a happy couple.

"Ikari-kun."

"Yes?"

...what was there to talk about? "Nothing."

They sat there, holding hands, and she leaned into him a bit. What was there to talk about? Nothing in particular. She enjoyed the warmth of his body, the presence of him, the fact that he existed and he was there, for her alone... it was a rare feeling for her.

Her hand tightened around his as she remembered the meeting earlier, that day, with the boy who had called himself Kaworu.

* * *

"Shinji?" The boy called out. "Shinji?"

"Oh, hi," said Ikari, hesitantly.

Rei watched from the corner of the room as the boy went up and hugged Shinji, tightly, and with more... touching than would have been appropriate with those who were just friends. Kaworu, she remembered. The new pilot.

The one who had tossed that Lance, and had thus, effectively, saved the world that day.

Feeling strange—was this jealousy?-she watched as Kaworu put an arm around Ikari's shoulders and began talking, animatedly, about random things. There was a sense of friendliness that Rei was acutely aware that she did not possess.

"If only..." if only I could talk with him like that. She watched as Ikari smiled at a joke. "If only I could make him smile." She felt out of character, to wonder so, yet that experience had changed her.

Then she remembered: the SDAT player. The one she had carried with her, into the cockpit of Unit 00 before engaging with the angel. It was gone. Maybe he missed it. Maybe he forgot about it. But she had forgotten, too. She wished she had it in her hands. She had lost it, somehow, during the confusion after the angel's death.

And there—the boy named Kaworu glanced at her. One look was enough. She froze, certain that he had heard her whisper.

But what disturbed her more was the color of his eyes. They were the same as her own, and it was as if she had stared into a mirror.

* * *

Misato's apartment was quiet. Asuka turned the lights on, and remembered that Penpen was gone, too. Katsuragi had taken the penguin with her.

It felt so empty without Shinji. He had moved out to join Rei in her apartment, and now, Asuka had the place to herself.

"I'm turning into Misato," she muttered, as she warmed up the water for instant cup ramen. "I'm going to be drinking myself to sleep soon."

She missed him more than she thought she would. Shinji had become such a constant presence in her life, and more than that, he had been an friend to her... something she had lacked for most of her life. And now, he wasn't "her" Shinji anymore.

The doll had taken him.

"I'm not jealous," she muttered, as she poured water into the cup ramen. It was some Korean brand. "I'm not jealous at all."

She sat down at the table and turned the TV on. There wasn't much on—most normal programming was still in hiatus, and so it was nothing but reruns and the news. Asuka ate the ramen as the news listed all the natural disasters and such that had happened that day.

"I don't hate her," she said to herself. "I don't hate her at all." And she didn't. Asuka had come to a decision before her ill-fated meeting with Bardiel, the angel who had nearly destroyed her mind. She would be kinder, gentler, a better human being. Someone who wasn't afraid to treat with people, to have friends.

But she was jealous. Asuka sighed as she finished her ramen. It couldn't be helped. And she missed his cooking.

"Maybe I can call Hikari..." then she realized that Hikari was missing still, likely dead, and that depressed her even more.

Her missing eye began to itch, a phantom pain.

* * *

**Author's Note: It's an Asuka-centric chapter. I've always like her character, and even though she's taken a backseat in the new movies, she's still cool with me.**

**The next chapter will focus on Mari and her hidden agenda, before going back to deal with Rei and Shinji's budding relationship. And also with Rei's clone-sisters. Thanks for reading.**


	3. Chapter 3

**After The Fall: Part 3**

* * *

Her apartment was still a bare thing, and because the construction rebuilding it had been halted due to the angel attack, there was nothing but silence for kilometers all around. It was creepy at times, walking to where she lived, simply because there was nothing moving around him—no cars, no people, nothing, just empty silence filled with the occasional breeze.

Shinji carried two plastic bags, loaded up with groceries from the newly re-opened market. Ingredients for many things, from breakfast to lunch to dinnner... he enjoyed cooking for her. He enjoyed cooking in general, really, but there was something about the way she ate, at how she enjoyed it, that made him smile. There was a satisfaction there which he hadn't felt for a long time.

"Oh, right, Asuka." He'd forgotten. Shinji had meant to drop by Misato's old apartment to see Asuka, which he hadn't done ever since she recovered. He wondered if the apartment was a mess, and mentally reminded himself to take along some cleaning supplies, just in case.

He got to Rei's apartment, and opened the door. It had been left unlocked, and he walked in, mindful of how dark it was. He had cleaned it up a little, and had made efforts to brighten it up a bit, but she had seemed comfortable with how gloomy it was—and truth be told, there was something comforting to him about that, as well. Then he remembered—the smell of Ayanami, really, or rather, her presence filled the room. It reminded him of sitting in his Eva, waiting for battle. The calm.

Shinji could hear the shower running in the bathroom. It seemed only like a week ago when he'd stumbled into her naked form, while trying to give her the new ID. The memory still made him blush a little, which was a bit ridiculous considering all that the two of them had gone through, but still...

The shower stopped running, as he put away the groceries inside the fridge. He wondered if he should take some food to Asuka, as well. What could he make in such a short time? Rice balls? Just something simple... rice, and maybe he could make some omelettes with sliced octopi-shaped sausages. It would be nice to bring her some food.

It occurred to him that he was happy now.

Happy that this was all he had to worry about. Whether to make food for a friend.

No need to worry about the Evas, at least for now. No need to worry about Angels. No need to worry about... his father.

"Ikari-kun?"

He turned to the sound of her voice. Ayanami, drying her hair, utterly unconscious of her nudity. He quickly turned back, blushing, which he was doing an awful lot lately while living with her.

* * *

"Mari Makinami Illustrious." Misato frowned at the report, as she sipped coffee at the local cafe. America was still relatively untouched, compared to Japan, by Angel attacks, and it was a nice break to look at the horizon without seeing the scars of battle ravaging the countryside. Still, she was aware of the fact that she wasn't here of her free will—she was here as a prisoner. Commander Ikari's sacrifice to SEELE's demands that they have something in return for how close they had gotten to triggering the Third Impact.

Mari Makinami Illustrious. Misato had learned a few things since arriving in the still-rebuilding Nevada test facilities, one of which was that the girl, Mari, had been sent to Japan, coincidentally close to the time when Shinji had decided to stop piloting. And then there was the mysterious pilot for Unit 02, who had been retrieved out of his or her entry plug without letting NERV see by UN forces. Curious indeed.

She sighed as she finished her coffee. Her 'bodyguard' was still waiting by the door. Misato wondered if she could take him—she probably could, but at the expense of whatever freedom she had. It sucked being a hostage.

* * *

There was a knock on the door, and Asuka went to answer it. It was Shinji.

"Hey," she said, feeling strangely unfamiliar. It seemed that he felt the same way. "Come on in."

"I brought you some food," he said, holding up the bento box he was carrying. "I thought you might need it, Asuka."

"What, you think I can't cook for myself?" Then she smirked. "You'd be right, I guess. Thanks for the food."

He seemed well enough. He looked happy, which was a good thing. Asuka remembered talking to Maya Ibuki, and chatting about Shinji and Rei as a couple... an odd couple, but cute? Maybe.

"How's the favorite?"

"Ayanami? She's doing fine, she's back home right now."

"Home? Oh, you mean her apartment."

"Yeah. But..."

Asuka looked at where he was pointing at—there was nothing interesting there. Just a clean spot on the floor. "But what?"

He smiled. "I thought it'd be a lot dirtier."

Suppressing the urge to smack him, she forced a grin on her face. "You mean, you thought I was turning into Misato 2.0?"

"No, no, no," he stammered, sounding nervous. "Not at all."

"Because I'm not. I don't have a penguin, I keep the apartment clean, and... and... I might eat nothing but instant food, and drink too much sometimes, but I'm not like her at all!"

"But aren't you wearing her clothes?"

"How did you know? All my stuff's in the laundry right now."

"Your shirt just seemed really loose and baggy. And I remember that shirt, since I washed it every week."

"Oh."

There was an awkward silence before he said, "well, I hope you enjoy the food. I guess I'll be going now."

"Yeah, you do that."

She watched him leave. The door closed, and she walked to the table where he had laid down the bento box. She opened it—onigiri and tamago. She took a bite. It was perfectly seasoned.

She finished the food and walked to the door. After locking it, she leaned against it and sighed, wondering why she felt so... so sad.

* * *

_Author's Note: Thanks for reading this far. I know the whole Shinji/Rei thing has probably seemed a bit sappy, but it'll change soon. Back to Kaoru and more on Mari next._

_As for how long this will be, I'm thinking maybe 20,000 words. I've been writing a chapter a day, which is pretty much all I have the time for, so hopefully I can keep up the pace._


	4. Chapter 4

After The Fall: Part 4

* * *

The boy named Kaoru sat on the tip of a ruined skyscraper, one of the many fallen buildings dotting what was once Tokyo. Reconstruction was going slowly, and he didn't mind. There was something peaceful about the scene, the juxtaposition of ruin and silence, that reminded him of his time on the moon.

Ikari.

Shinji.

Kaoru remembered the boy. A young man with no hopes or dreams. No love and no attachment to the world, none that he was aware of. A young man who was, because he lacked all those things, was perfectly open to manipulation. But now, Ikari had someone, something, to love. That was a powerful thing.

He remembered tossing the Lance through the back of the awakened Eva, and chuckled at the sheer thrill of it. What a power weapon, the Lance of Longinus. Able to pierce anything... as it once pierced the side of Lilith herself.

The plan was slowly coming into fruition. Or it had, once. But now Kaoru had different plans. He had sworn that Ikari would have an happy ending to his story—that, for once in his life, he would smile freely. SEELE was nothing but a tool.

"How funny," he said to himself, "that I do so much for a boy who once killed me."

* * *

Rei was aware that lovers often had sex. It was a distant concept to her, and one that she didn't find arousing. It was just a fact, stated and known: lovers copulated.

They—Ikari and herself—did not copulate.

Yet he seemed perfectly content. Rei wouldn't have minded if he pressed the issue; she had found references to the act in textbooks and had researched it further. Copulation involved the insertion of genitalia into the... she slowly remembered the steps, and wondered how it would feel. A scientific curiousity, no more.

It was night, and Ikari slept, next to her. The bed was small but they both fit into it. She felt his warmth next to her, and felt what she thought was happiness. Satisfaction and pleasure in equal measure.

"He came for me," she said. To the air, to no one in particular. "He came for me." By 'he,' the father and son, Ikari senior and Ikari junior. Gendo and Shinji. Commander and pilot. They both had, for different reasons, but nonetheless, they had come back... and that made her feel unique, as if she was the sole instance of the being called 'Rei,' instead of just one among a hundred other clones.

It made her feel irreplaceable.

She closed her eyes, and slept, with Ikari by her side.

* * *

"A transfer back to Germany?"

"Yes. They actually asked for you, you know. Especially considering how Unit 2 is close to full recovery back in Europe."

Asuka wondered what she should say. On one hand, a change of scenery might be nice.

On the other hand, Shinji was here.

Her only friend.

"I'll think about it," she said. "Give me a day or two, Maya?"

"Of course. Just give me a call and I'll give the Europe headquarters the answer."

The red-haired pilot hung up the phone and realized that she had not asked who would replace her. It was clear that Japan needed another set of pilots, and with Shinji and Rei still here, that would leave one spot open—Unit 8? That white-haired boy, Kaoru?

"Who knows," she grumbled. One day to decide. It felt like an eternity.

* * *

"You have a phone call, Ms. Katsuragi."

Curious, Misato accepted the phone from one her captor-slash-guards. It turned out to be Asuka.

"Long time no see," she said, happily. News of the fiery pilot's recovery had been a pleasant surprise for her, even when she was thousands of kilometers away.

"Hey, Misato," said Asuka.

"So what's up?"

"Nothing much... keeping your apartment clean, by the way."

"Ah, thanks. Pen Pen missed you too."

"Good to hear. Well, uh, I wanted to ask you something, Misato."

"Go ahead."

There was a small pause, before Asuka said, "I've been asked to transfer back to Europe. Germany, actually."

"That... doesn't sound bad at all. Their facilities weren't wrecked, so it wouldn't be a long time before you got back into your Eva. Provided, of course, that you don't mind becoming a pilot again."

"I don't mind, Misato. I want to get back to action, actually. But... I, well—"

"Oh, I see," said Misato with a little leer. "It's Shinji, isn't it?"

"No!"

"I can see how it is. If you like him so much why don't you-"

Misato chuckled as Asuka hung up on her. It had been a while since she'd been so amused.

* * *

Grumbling, Asuka stared at the phone, wishing she could punch Misato in the face. The nerve of her, to imply that she had feelings for the idiot... which was probably true, she admitted to herself.

But he was more important as a friend. As a proof that she could live with others. As a proof that she wasn't completely unlikeable.

Sighing, Asuka walked to the couch and sank into it. In the silence of the apartment she wondered, again, who the replacement might be. That boy hadn't been seen since his unit stopped Shinji and Rei from blowing up Japan, so who knew.


	5. Chapter 5

After The Fall: Part 5

* * *

"I've been wondering, Ikari-kun."

"Ayanami?"

"Two things. We have been together for quite a while, yes?"

"I guess so."

"So I would like you to call me Rei."

"Oh, uh, sure."

"And I will call you Shinji."

"That's fine with me."

"That seems to be what two people do when they get close to each other. Am I correct?"

"Well, as far as I know, yes."

"Good. Then, I would like to talk about contact."

"Contact?"

"Yes. I've been reading about the subject, and it seems that we are not doing the things we should be doing."

"Like what, Aya—uh, Rei?"

"We rarely touch. Physical contact is usually limited to holding hands. I do not mind, but I'm beginning to realize that this is not normal."

"Well, uh, well..."

"Also, you still sleep fully clothed. Does the feel of my body disgust you?"

"No, of course not. I mean, I... where are you getting all this from?"

"The library."

"I'm not exactly the best person to ask about this stuff, Rei."

"Then, Shinji, who should I ask?"

"Huh. Asuka, I suppose?"

* * *

The girl was packing her bags. Nothing big, really. She was going to leave a lot of it behind, in Japan. It seemed so odd to her now, to bring the whole house, really, along with her when she first came to live in Misato's apartment. What did she need, after all? Just clothes, some personal things, and... that was all. Nothing tied her down to this place, after that. When she left, it would be dark and silent, and there would be no signs left of the three people who had used to live here.

Flight meant liberation, right? Then why did she feel so down? Asuka finished zipping up the bag, and wondered if she had left anything out. She wouldn't need her alarm clock—but—her doll, the puppet. With 'Asuka' written on it's skirt. It sat on the floor, neglected. She had completely forgotten about it after the disaster with the dummy plug.

She bent down and grabbed it—the weight of it light in her hands. Did she need it?

"Mother," she whispered. "Asuka is a good girl."

She tossed it aside. There was no need for it anymore.

* * *

"Everything's been approved. The second child is due to be shipped off to Germany soon, and you should encounter no problems whatsoever."

"Smooth sailings, then." The attractive girl with the glasses said. "Sounds good!"

"Don't get cocky."

"Of course not, it's just confidence. And I have a good reason for it," said Mari.

"Good luck, Illustrious."

"You too, Allen." She clicked her phone off and stretched, grinning with pleasure as she did so. They had talked in English, just in case someone was listening in... but that unlikely, with how uninhabited the city was.

"It'll be nice to meet you again, Third," she said to herself. He had smelled nice.


End file.
